Op-Ed: In an unexpected move Monday "Shinzo Abe offers sincere apology for use of ‘comfort women’ by Japanese soldiers, removing major barrier to better relations" reports the Guardian.

The report continues "Japan and South Korea have removed the biggest obstacle to better bilateral ties after agreeing to “finally and irreversibly” resolve Tokyo’s use of tens of thousands of Korean women as wartime sex slaves."

In August we reported "Shinzo Abe, the P.M. of Japan, made a lengthy speech Friday ahead of the 70th anniversary August 15, of his country's surrender which ended WWII. Unlike previous Prime Ministers of Japan, who on the 50th and 60th anniversaries, offered personal apologies for the country's militaristic past and all that entailed, Abe simply apologised on behalf of Japan.

But his carefully chosen words acknowledged Japan's military and colonial past warranted apologies; while outsiders may see that as better than nothing former 'enemies' of Japan will view his words as more shallow rhetoric."

Monday he has gone a step further in this long running saga.

In May 2013 we wrote "In Japan, during the Second World War, many women were forced to become "sex slaves" for the military. The women and girls came from China South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan. It was classed as enforced prostitution and the women were called "comfort women" by some but in reality it was nothing more than rape.

Using a carefully sanitized phrase such as comfort women does nothing to show the pain and abuse these women suffered. Across the world and in Japan most people now accept that the abuse of these women was a war crime and a serious breach of human rights.

Most people do but not all.

On Monday Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto said that the "comfort women" gave Japanese soldiers a chance "to rest" and were "necessary". Tuesday most Japanese ministers have tried to remove themselves from his words and not commented but ministers in the women's home countries have expressed dismay and anger at his words.

Mr Hashimoto is not a member of a mainstream Japanese political party. He has already shown that he is a reactionary, declaring that Japan needs a dictatorship, presumably with him at the helm. He is a fairly young man though which is also worrying. It seems reactionary and offensive views are held by young people also.

Opinion:Just when you think mankind is making some headway you read or hear of a story like this. The man may truly believe the women offered some help to battle weary troops but does he not understand the implications of his words.

So in his eyes the women were nobodies, who meant nothing. They were insignificant and nothing more than a weapon or tool of war. The suffering they endured at the time and following does not matter as they were necessary to make the troops feel good. And what about the troops? If they were well aware of the "sex slaves" status" did they not feel any guilt? Do or did their actions haunt them for years?

Around 200,000 women in territories occupied by Japan were forced to become sex slaves for the Japanese military. You only need a full-scale war to find out the mettle of a person or a nation and it seems that Japanese soldiers soon sunk to the depths of humanity.

Although the women received an apology from Japan in 1993 lately Ministers have been back pedalling on that one. This means that Hasimoto's words were very badly timed. However that should not matter and if truth be known the women should have received justice through a war crimes court years ago."

This is why Abe's apology Monday is important.

He has offered his “most sincere apologies” the tens of thousands on women who were abused.

It is too late for many of the women; so many years after the war few are still alive. There could of course be some sort of compensation to the women's families.

But many just wanted Japan to admit they were wrong and tender an apology.

"Japan also offered to set up a new 1bn yen ($8.3m) fund, with the money, paid directly by the government, divided among the 46 former comfort women still alive, most of whom are in their late 80s and early 90s" adds the Guardian.

The apology is carefully worded and aimed at helping trade deals and relations between countries without accepting any legal responsibility.

It is just a shame this apology and compensation were not offered until 2015 we say.

Op-Ed: Australian Lynton Crosby looks set to be knighted in the New Year's honours list illustrating why it is way past the time to ditch this ridiculous system of payback.

Crosby has 'earned' his reward for running Cameron's successful 2015 election campaign, alienating many and operating dirty politics in a land foreign to him.

Those who have earned their honour by selflessly dedicating a life to the good of others will surely be both sad and angry to see their reward undervalued in such a way.

Let's face it too many of these honours go to people who have done nothing to deserve our respect but such blatant cronyism takes the biscuit.

The Guardian reported Sunday "Tory MPs welcomed the decision, which marks a significant escalation of the policy Cameron has adopted of allowing honours to be awarded for political service.

The fat cats that got the cream - Mail Online Image

The Labour MP Mary Creagh criticised the appointment on Twitter, while Paul Flynn, another Labour MP, said he was pleased about the news because it would discredit the honours system, which he has long opposed."

It not only discredits the honours system but the role of British royals who are taken along for the ride. The Queen will be expected to approve Crosby's knighthood but will she be inwardly applauding the man?

That is one question.

The Queen at least on the surface tries to stay out of politics unlike her meddling sons and grandson, Prince Charles and Prince William.

But the reality is that the Queen meets with the PM of the day on a regular basis in one-to-one conferences.

A Spectator blog puts a very different and right-wing perspective on the affair with this "Was a political knighthood ever more deserved than Lynton Crosby’s? His personal involvement was the difference between defeat and victory – he kept Ed Miliband out of No10. As Tim Montgomerie observed earlier, a hereditary peerage would be in order for that alone."

But that is just one more reason why he should not be dubbed Sir Lynton even with a barge-pole.

His knighthood discredits a wobbly system, plays party politics and is a disgrace.

It undermines the huge numbers of voters who did not fall for Crosby's, or Rupert Murdoch's, spin and sleazy politics.

They are two Australians who played a huge part in undermining the opposition in the UK and ensuring the Tories got the key to Number 10 for five more years.

Crosby, the so-called Wizard of Oz, is all that is wrong with politics.

He works for the piper who pays the price albeit preferably the right-wig piper.

He worked on Tony Abbott's 2013 election campaign in Australia and helped turn it around but when Stephen Harper's campaign in Canada 2015 began to flag he jumped ship.

Yes a man with plenty of money but a shortage of principles.

A man worthy of a knighthood?

Yes if like this writer you believe the honour's system stinks from top to bottom and should be scrapped.

[Note-you may be on a Christmas break from work but police have asked that people stop going to look at the floods and treating them as a tourist event. Such vistors are making a bad situation worse]

Christmas is a great time of year; a time of hope and peace-on-earth to all men, and women, but not a universal time for celebration.

Putting aside religious and cultural differences, war torn areas of the planet, and sadly there are many in 2015, poverty, homelessness and starvation this Christmas the 'elements' have managed to play havoc with yuletide celebrations in the west.

It may be December but the weather in the UK is far from seasonal but that is not good news; it may be mild but it is wet, and we mean very wet!

British army numbers have been slashed leaving our military struggling to meet military commitments and now the British army is deployed in parts of the UK to help with flood protection and flood relief.

Cumbria in the north west of England experienced severe flooding three times in December pre-Christmas and residents have endured a miserable Christmas with the threat of further flooding hanging over residents.

A former pub on the River Irwell in Summerseat near Bury, Lancashire, has collapsed due to the River Irwell flooding. The 200-year-old building that was the Waterside pub and restaurant sits on a bridge crossing the River Irwell and locals are now concerned the bridge may not hold-image credit Neil Hughes

Saturday, Boxing Day, there are more weather warnings and flood alerts across the UK.

Rivers have burst banks and 15 flood warnings quickly issued.

Hours later the Guardian reports "seven of 149 flood warnings have been classed as severe, meaning weather conditions pose a potentially deadly threat" with some evacuations taking place and firefighters as well as local police working to help residents.

Warnings are being updated on social media such as Twitter as more parts of the UK are hit by severe weather. "An 'amber warning' for more rain has now been issued for floods-hit north-west Wales" reports Wales online on Twitter.

Many roads are closed and there is traffic chaos as Boxing Day shoppers try to bag a bargain or two. The general advice is, do not travel unless you really have to.

Check your local news and social media for the latest warnings.

The weather in the UK has been mixed temperature-wise but on the whole mild for December; flooding however is bad news any time of year but especially at Christmas.

A warm front pushing northwards is expected to bring a band of rain northwards across many parts of England and Wales during Christmas Day with this rain band then looking like it will become very slow-moving across northern parts of England and North Wales by Christmas Night and Boxing Day as high pressure builds to the north for a time.

The rain is likely to be heavy and persistent at times and could then continue to affect northern parts of England and parts of North Wales throughout Boxing Day and perhaps into Sunday before eventually moving northwards into Scotland. There remains some uncertainty over where the rain band stalls but where it does stall there is the potential for some regions to see up to 75-100 mm of rainfall from this system, but locally higher amounts of 125-150 mm are possible. With the ground currently saturated and extremely sensitive to further rainfall, then there is a significant risk that further flooding will occur in areas that have been affected by flooding in recent weeks.

From UK metcheck Boxing Day warnings

This has been updated to include Northwest Wales. If you live in any of these areas then you should now follow Environment Agency Severe Flood Warnings. Protection to life and property should now be rushed to completion. Major flooding is now possible in these locations.

Wednesday and into Christmas Eve Thursday at least 15 people were killed as a result of severe storms, with multiple tornadoes, in US states Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas.

Where the US goes the UK often follows and that is true of our weather. Boxing Day across the Pond CNN are reporting "From massive flooding to a possible blizzard, wild weather grips the U.S."

Each year we say goodbye to a host of entertainers, sport's and film personalities and other famous people; if we are lucky we do not have to say one final goodbye to any of our immediate family, loved ones, friends and or colleagues.

2015 has been a bumper year for celebrity deaths perhaps as so many 'famous faces' have reached that certain age, or then again maybe we all think that each and every year.

If you check out December deaths already listed on Wikipedia by today, Boxing Day you will see a mass of 'names' both young and old but who were the stand out goodbyes for you this year?

From the world of musicIt was goodbye to British veteran entertainer and one time UK pop queen Cilla Black and US 'King of the Blues' BB King; a fond farewell was said to American soul and R&B legendary singer and record producer Ben E King who died April 2015.

In October it was Steve Mackay, 66, saxophonist for Iggy and the Stooges and in November Motorhead drummer Phil Taylor passed away at the age of 61.

British 'kids of the sixties' will remember Twinkle, real name Lynn Ripley who died in May aged 66 after a long battle with cancer. She wrote her famous, was it one and only, hit "Terry", which was not quite a teen anthem but gave 'Leader of the Pack a run for its money and went like this:

TerryHe said to me he wanted to be near to meHe said he never wanted to be out of my sightBut it's too late to give this boy my love tonightPlease wait at the gate of heaven for me, Terry

He said to me he wanted to be close by my sideWe had a quarrel. I was untrue on the night he diedAnd it's too late to tell this boy how great he wasPlease wait at the gate of heaven for me, Terry

He rode into the nightAccelerated his motorbikeI cried to him in frightDon't do it, don't do it, don't do it

He said to me, you are the one I want to be withHe said to me, you are the one my love I shall giveOne day he'll know how hard I prayed for him to livePlease wait at the gate of heaven for me, Terry

Op-Ed: A family group of 11 'holiday-makers' which included nine children had a nasty airport surprise when US authorities pulled the plug on the family's dream trip to California.

Mohammad Tariq Mahmood, from Walthamstow, and the rest of his travelling party last Tuesday where reportedly approached by US homeland security in the departure lounge of Gatwick airport.

While there is no official response to questions about the late cancellation of this vacation there are no surprises for second-guessing why?

Perhaps the name Mohammad Tariq Mahmood is the explanation why the group was prevented from travelling to the USA.

But when Donald Trump, one of the GOPs leading candidates, said he would put a ban on all Muslims entering the USA 'until we can figure out what the Hell is going on' he was derided by many, including a number of Americans.

What is also cause for concern is US homeland security operating in a London, UK, airport, if that is true.

Mohammad Tariq Mahmood, his brother, and nine of their children aged between eight and 19, was told at the airport that their "authorisation to travel on the flight had been cancelled without further explanation."

The family are not the first 'Muslims' travelling to the USA recently to find their travel plans hit at the last minute.

In other cases a US official, or officials, delivered the news to would be passengers at the airport; again without explanation.

To rub salt into Mr Mahmood's wounds he has now been told by his flight company Norwegian Air that the £9,000 cost of their flights to the USA will not be refunded.

There has been no follow-up contact with Mr Mahmood, his brother or children by US or UK officials-so if any or all of them pose a security threat how come?

Many are concluding that widespread condemnation of Trump's proposed ban on all Muslims travelling to the USA, is just hot-air and empty pacifying words.

Mr Mahmood told the Guardian he thinks he knows the reason they were stopped - "It's because of the attacks on America - they think every Muslim poses a threat."

I suppose not ordering an official blanket ban means the US can play host to Saudi Kings and Middle Eastern leaders when it suits but prevent many ordinary Muslims from travelling to the USA.

I imagine many Middle Eastern countries would like to ban US military personnel, John Kerry and other Americans from entering their countries too.

"Labour's Stella Creasy, who is the family's local MP, has written to David Cameron to try to find out why the family were stopped."

"A Downing Street spokeswoman said Cameron would consider the issues raised in Creasy’s letter and respond in due course. The prime minister has described Trump’s remarks as “stupid, divisive and wrong”.

"The US embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request [by the Guardian] for comment."

This is just the sort of story that gets the taxpaying and austerity enduring British public hot-under-the-collar.

The Huffington Post UK is one of various mainstream news reporting sources covering this story. They say:

The Speaker of the House Lords racked up a £230 bill keeping a chauffeur-driven car waiting for four hours while she watched an opera just a mile away from Parliament, it was revealed on Tuesday.

Baroness D'Souza also spent £270 holding a car for four and a half hours while she had lunch with the Japanese ambassador in central London, and £738 keeping a luxury Mercedes parked for 10 hours during an event at Windsor Castle.

Using a Mercedes to get from Westminster to Canterbury for the enthronement of Archbishop Justin Welby in March 2013 cost £627 - with Commons counterpart John Bercow making exactly the same journey in a separate car for £525.

If that does not take the biscuit what does?

It shows a careless disregard for the public purse, a let-them-eat-cake smug attitude, poor management and so much more.

Why does D'Souza have to travel in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes? That is not good practice nor helpful to the environment.

How come the vehicle is then left waiting while the taxpayer bill goes up and up and she enjoys a relaxing time?

It is wrong, wrong and wrong on so many levels.

If D'Souza thinks it is acceptable practice then she is mistaken and either a fool or a nincompoop.

In her defence the Lords has said she sometimes drives herself to events but other times security is an issue.

That old chestnut 'security' is used tie and time again as an excuse for waste.

The Huff Post report also says that "the Lords Speaker also spent tens of thousands of pounds on travel, flying business class, staying in hotels costing up to £300 a night, and ordering £123 of room service for a "breakfast meeting"."

Time the Baroness and others lived up to David Cameron's vow that we are "all in this [austerity] together".

And once again the British electorate need to thank heavens for the Freedom of Information Act- "The Lords Speaker's expenses have been published - with individual receipts - after a Press Association request under Freedom of Information laws."

The FOI act was a manifesto pledge by Tony Blair's incoming 1997 government; the current Tory government are looking at ways of curbing the acts powers or worse.

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